Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to electronic devices, and relates more particularly to formatting and/or processing of release notes to facilitate intelligent management of electronic devices.
Description of the Related Art
Networking systems have become increasing more complicated. The added complexity is a result of many factors. First, because of increasing demands for bandwidth and features, networking systems are comprised of increasing more devices. Second, these devices are more complicated than their predecessors—performing more functions and more complicated functions. As companies compete to differentiate and outdo their competition, new features are constantly being added. Fourth, managing network systems is complex because a typical network system is an amalgam of devices from a number of different vendors—each with their own operating systems, bug fixes, updates, and the like. Fifth, network systems generally include numerous devices of different functional types that perform a wide range of functions, such as access, routing, switching, storage, security, etc. Thus, the types, severity, and frequency of updates for such a heterogeneous group of devices can vary widely.
For deployments of network equipment, such as enterprise networks, information technology (IT) administrators routinely rely on network management systems (NMS) to help monitor, configure, and update firmware for equipment that is part of the network. As noted above, production environments may include many different operating systems or firmware branches. Currently, each provider of firmware presents new features, fixes, and/or security issues in the form of release notes. Each provider's release notes are unique and are typically only provided in hard copy or online at the provider's website on a web page or in a portable document format (pdf) document.
Bug fixes, security patches, new features, and greater stability are few of the reasons that can trigger an upgrade to one or more devices in a network system. Another common reason for updates is the addition of new equipment or accessories that require a new software/firmware release. IT administrators need to constantly evaluate these release notes to determine whether an upgrade is warranted or even prudent.
Since network systems are often a collection of devices from a number of different providers, of a number of different types, or both, the burden on network administrators can be quite taxing. First, the issue is taxing because there is no central repository for the release notes. Rather, network administrators have to go to a number of places to find release notes. And second, once the release notes are located, the network administrator must then comb through the release notes looking for pertinent information.
Current network management systems have neither the ability to gather release notes, nor to readily parse the information for entry into a database, nor do they have the ability to evaluate current status of a network and recommend a firmware level based on current or future needs.
Accordingly, what is needed are systems and methods that can address these deficiencies and limitations of managing updates for a system of devices.